Omkara waited for Kali to turn around the corner, the moment Kali disappeared, he stepped out of his room to locate Gauri's. He has to figure out whether Gauri is pretending now, or she was pretending then?
Gauri did not expect Kali to miss a chance to taunt her after what happened this evening. As if on cue, Kali sauntered in her room.
"Brilliant performance, my Bulbul, though I missed some of it. You are such a fine liar, and so beautiful, that you could have easily made to the cinema. But the city of Mumbai is not where you belong, your place is at my feet, here in Bareilly. That reminds me, I won't be chaining your feet tonight, Bulbul; the presence of your hero in this mansion, is enough to see that you don't pull a stunt like last time." sneered Kali, as he left, not even bothering to lock the door from outside like this time.
Gauri knew he was right, she wouldn't flee when Omkaraji, like a fool, walked into his own prison. She sighed and got up to lock the doors from inside. Now at least no one will invade her privacy till morning, until she let them in.
Omkara watched Kali entering Gauri's bedroom, and frowned, but the former didn't stay long and left after a few minutes. Kali went to his own room soon after. Omkara looked around and once he was sure there was no guard or servant in sight, he moved out from behind the pillar and went to Gauri's door.
It wasn't locked from outside. That means she wasn't in captivity, she could leave, escape now if she tried. Omkara slightly pushed the door to see if it was locked from inside. It was, which meant that Gauri was staying here at will. She could leave, she could stop people from entering, she was not held prisoner in this haveli. Omkara sighed and went back to his room.
Gauri felt like someone was standing outside her door. Was it Kali again? She got up to check, and opened her door a little, to peek out. No, nobody was there.
Maybe her mind was playing tricks on her. After all, she had been traveling for over a day and she was emotionally drained from the performance she had to put on tonight. She got rid of the heavy silk saree and jewels, changed into a cotton salwar suit and lied down on her bed.
Omkara was tired by his mission to find Gauri and when he find finally found her, he was disappointed by what he saw.
He had somehow convinced himself that Chulbul is the real Gauri, the one he met in Mumbai, but looks like he was betrayed again, maybe this is the real Gauri, the one he met in Bareilly last time, and the one he met again in the same city this time. He rested his head on the pillow, and closed his eyes.
Miraculously, they both slept.
******************************************
Tej was pacing frantically around his bedroom, frowning in concern.
"Should we tell Shivaay?" Jahnvi, asked not for the first time.
She was sitting on the sofa in Tej's bedroom, formerly in their bedroom.
"Jahnvi, please, I told you, Shivaay has done enough, now its my turn to do something for my son." said Tej
"Well, considering you got him involved in your mess in the first place, I suppose you are right." Jahnvi couldn't resist the jibe.
Tej sighed. How had things come to this in two days?
Omkara was missing since Friday. It was Sunday today, almost two days since there was no news of him. Friday evening, he and Jahnvi got a rude awakening, when Svetlana texted them to meet her. Both of them refused, Jahnvi a little shocked that Svetlana would even dare to contact her. The next minute Tej and Jahnvi received a clip of a video. The same video they saw four months ago, of Omkara sexually harassing Svetlana in some unknown place. Tej had believed Svetlana and slapped Omkara. That memory made Jahnvi wince. Jahnvi got herself discharged from the hospital and met Svetlana in a clandestine cafe, she was surprised to see Tej joining them soon. He looked perplexed as well.
"Ah, I knew that you both would understand the gravity of the situation once you received the reminder." smiled Svetlama slyly, taking a sip of her drink. "What would you both like to have? Coffee, Tea, something stronger?" she asked her voice dripping honey.
"Quit playing games, and tell us why you called us here." said Tej, annoyed.
"Ah! Still angry with me Tej? Hmm, okay, I'll get to the point. You made it clear Tej, that you won't marry me, even after the contract is over, or Jahnvi divorces you." said Svetlana
Jahnvi looked surprised at this piece of information. Tej, who had not batted an eyelid when Jahnvi set fire to herself, because he was so consumed in his desire to possess Svetlana, was ready to give her up?
Tej asked, "Well, so you called us here just to re-confirm that?"
"No, I called you here to tell you of your options. Even if you change your mind and come back to me Tej, I would still have to wait for a few months until that restitution decree is over. I can't override that. As it is, I have changed my mind. Shivaay is already married, and that stupid wife of his would rather get shot than let anything happen to him, so laying my hands on him is slightly difficult. The other options are your sons, Omkara and Rudra. I want to be a Oberoi bahu, by hook or by crook. Since Omkara is the elder one, he gets preference. The video I sent you is the price of his freedom. If you son doesn't marry me, then he can rot in prison for sexual harassment. Now the choice is yours, your son is prison or me inside the Oberoi mansion." Svetlana drank the last bit of her drink, and sashayed out of the cafe, leaving behind a flabbergasted Tej and Jahnvi.
It had been two days since that incident. Tej and Jahnvi had decided that the only option left to them, where they could secure Omkara's freedom and the Oberoi family from Svetlana, was to get Omkara married to someone else. That way Svetlana couldn't blackmail him to get married to her, and the video would be rendered useless.
But where was Omkara?
All they knew was that he was in hot pursuit of some girl to Uttar Pradesh, of all places. Omkara, following a girl was the most ridiculous thing ever. That is something they expected of Rudra.
Tej had tried his sources to find out where Omkara had disappeared, but since Omkara was not a minor or abducted, but went on his own accord off to wherever, the police showed a certain reluctance to pursue the case. Tej engaged private security to trace him, but since UP was a huge state and the most populous, it was going to take a while to locate him.
"Tej, I hope you realize that Om is not going to be happy to know that we are thinking of marrying him off to some random girl, while he is away." cautioned Jahnvi
"Desperate times desperate measures. In any case, this marriage is temporary. I have shortlisted a number of girls from my known business associates who would agree to enter into a contract marriage." said Tej
"And what if they don't agree?" asked Jahnvi
"Then I know how to be persuasive." said Tej.
Jahnvi sighed. Tej was ruthless, why did she think that he had changed just because he saved her life and ended his affair with Svetlana?
He was just the same selfish man as ever. Only now his selfishness seemed to include his immediate family, instead of going against them
*****************************************
Omkara woke up with a new resolve. He was not going to rely on presumptions any longer, his confusion and dilemma were choking him from within. He would find the truth today, from Gauri's own lips. She would have to tell him.
He got dressed and stepped out of his room, to see the servants decorating the haveli. He stopped a servant and asked, "Is the wedding happening today?"
"No, saahib, the wedding is tomorrow, today we are just decorating the haveli for a havan." he replied and bowed his head out.
Omkara had to find out the truth now. He reached Gauri's corridor, and saw some ladies exiting her room.
He walked to Gauri's doorstep and saw her sitting by the dressing table. She looked up and saw his reflection in the mirror. She didn't turn to look at him, instead focused on the jewelry placed on her table.
"What should I wear today? Should I wear these pearls again or should I try something else?" she mused. "I think I'll go with the pearls again, after all they match with this white dress." Gauri hooked the necklace around her throat.
Unreasonable anger consumed Omkara. He marched up to Gauri's dressing table, and pulled off the necklace from her throat, with his hand. The necklace came unstrung and hundred pearls came off from the thread, falling and spilling in every direction.
Gauri looked a bit shaken, but otherwise her expression was unchanged as she kept sitting on her seat, and staring at his reflection in the mirror.
"Funny. I was under the impression that it was a book, that it was knowledge, that you felt was the greatest gift. I should have known that you are no different from others." he spat. He wanted to say something more but at that moment, he heard footsteps in the corridor, and hastily exited from the room.
Gauri saw a servant entering the room, but she stopped him.
"Leave. Now." she ordered, and the servant scurried from the place. Gauri shut the door and stood with her back against it. Slowly, she slid down the length of the door, and sat down against it on the floor.
She could feel the tears running down her face. Her mother was struggling for her life, she was looking at a life worse than hell if Kali succeeded in his plan, and now Omkaraji was deeply hurt because of her. Gauri didn't know why this affected her so much, the fact that Omkara felt she had betrayed him as Chulbul, as a friend. She hated the disgust she saw in his eyes for her, and then hated herself for being affected by it so much. After all, why should it matter to her?
He saved her life last time, and she would save his life this time. And then they would have nothing to do with each other.
Omkara was fuming, as he stood against his closed door. He shouldn't have lost control like that. He was breathing hard. He wanted to talk to Gauri, and he blew that chance in his anger. He didn't know why seeing Gauri fussing over a piece of jewelry, set him off like that. Maybe because as Chulbul, he had seen her doing two jobs to earn money in Mumbai, maybe because he remembered how elated Chulbul looked when Omkara gifted him that book, maybe because he thought that Chulbul had a lot of pride and was devoid of greed.
Was that all an act? Was Chulbul a figment of his imagination?
He would try one last time, to get all the truth from Gauri. Then he would leave, with another betrayal added to his growing list.
Gauri walked down slowly to the hall, where Kali was waiting for her, near the havan fire. Omkara, surprisingly, was standing there too.
"Why are you wearing no jewels?" asked Kali
"The pearl necklace came unstrung. Don't worry I have collected all the pearls and send it to a jeweler to restring it. Nothing else matched with these white clothes, so I came down without jewelry." said Gauri, faking disdain.
"Thats not good enough. Wait. Here, you Madan, take these keys and get the blue box from the dead Thakurain's room." Kali ordered.
Omkara's eyes narrowed in distaste at how Kali mentioned the poor Thakurain, who died due to his emotional abuse.
The servant came rushing back with a box. Kali Thakur opened the box and took out a sparkling heavy diamond necklace. Placing it on Gauri's throat, he clasped it from behind.
"Do you see my generosity, Oberoi saab? You send my brothers to prison, for god knows how long, and yet you are here attending my wedding. My Bulbul ran away with my jewels worth lakh of rupees, last time, and yet here I am putting another piece on her neck, welcoming her a second time as my wife. I am such a sentimental fool. If I take a liking to people, I just don't let them go." said Kali, mockingly. The last line was underlined with a threat that Gauri understood very well.
"Let the havan begin." said Kali, as he and Gauri, and some other guests sat down around the fire. Omkara followed suit. His eyes on Gauri, trying to make out what she was thinking.
Omkara remembered all the things Chulbul had done for him and his family. He exposed Ranveer's plan and freed Omkara and Prinku from the guilt of that accident. He helped Omkara deal with his financial problems at work. What did Chulbul get out of all this? Nothing. He didn't take a single penny from Omkara, not even the cheap smartphone Om had bought so that they both could talk to each other, without Dandi as messenger. Chulbul couldn't be a selfish and greedy person, and much as Omkara felt betrayed by the lie, but Chulbul and Gauri were one and the same person. If Chulbul was selfless, then Gauri had to be too. Why was she doing all this?
No, Omkara was going to corner Gauri after this havan ended and get the truth from her at any cost, because to Omkara the truth mattered the most. Nothing was above truth, and he abhorred lies.
He saw Gauri through the flames of the fire separating them like a wall. She saw him as well. His eyes held questions, whereas her eyes held defiance. Which of them would win?